The Panda Eats Bamboo

He doesn’t meditate on a rock by the river
praying for the power to save himself
has no sense of jeopardy
Prophetic vision
doesn’t perturb him
given his ability to go on eating
snug in body fat

This is clear – those of us who can
must store up nourishment for all
in a shelter made of soul
staying alert where there’s nothing to grasp
carrying on like a villager going home
with a load of sticks gleaned from the forest
where the panda sleeps
slumped in a tree